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Crewe - Euston extra service?

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WCML

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If LM could acquire the extra stock, would they be allowed under the current franchise to introduce an extra service with limited stops between CRE and EUS to reduce overcrowding?

An hourly or 2 hourly service calling at:

CRE
SOT
STA
RUG
NMP
MKC and EUS

would surely be welcomed even if it ran on the slows and wouldn't exactly be competing too much with Virgin
 
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NSE

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I doubt you'd need it calling at Rugely, you'd get more custom from Litchfield as I understand it. I don't know if I'd continue it to Euston. Maybe just as far as Northampton, As South of there are plenty of Euston trains anyway, and Stafford and Crewe customers already get 1 & 2 VT's an hour anyway, which are virtually non-stop. Stoke get 2, again virtualy non-stop, I'd guess it'd be useful for connections north on the Trent valley.
 

WCML

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I have it calling at Rugby not Rugeley ;)

It would provide extra capacity for fast workings to Milton Keynes and Northampton which get a lot of passengers on the current service and would speed up London services for those more price sensitive customers north of the Trent Valley, when VT services are quite full anyway.
 

Invincibles

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Surely you would still serve all of the trent valley stations?

I can see terminating in Northampton / being an extension of an existing train making sense.

I have travelled on the LM a couple of times up the Trent Valley and loadings were certainly healthy on those.
 

ivanhoe

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If LM could acquire the extra stock, would they be allowed under the current franchise to introduce an extra service with limited stops between CRE and EUS to reduce overcrowding?

An hourly or 2 hourly service calling at:

CRE
SOT
STA
RUG
NMP
MKC and EUS

would surely be welcomed even if it ran on the slows and wouldn't exactly be competing too much with Virgin

Where is SOT? Can you not type out station names?

London Midland Services are more inclusive and therefore the limited stops that you suggest , will benefit very few passengers . It will not attract that many new passengers, merely take revenue away from Virgin in particular.
 

Ivo

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I have to say that I don't see much point. If it did happen though, I would agree that a stop at Lichfield would be far more worthwhile than Rugeley; similarly, why can't these trains call at Watford Junction? EDIT: Actually, this is wrong because I've just been reacting to what others have said. I agree on RUG!

Where is SOT?

Stoke-on-Trent ;)
 
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jaigee

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I have to say that I don't see much point. If it did happen though, I would agree that a stop at Lichfield would be far more worthwhile than Rugeley; similarly, why can't these trains call at Watford Junction?

Why not Nuneaton with it's East Anglia connections? A good percentage of the present LM business at Nuneaton connect to or from these services.

I travel on LM service regularly and there is far more usage at Nuneaton than at Lichfield.
 
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87015

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Why not Nuneaton with it's East Anglia connections? A good percentage of the present LM business at Nuneaton connect to or from these services.

Connections to Leicester perhaps but not East Anglia, the timetable ripped out said connections long ago. The standard pattern sees that northbound its a +36 and southbound +49 into the Stansted, out of the Stansted its a +7 southbound but a wonderful +54 into the Crewe service...
 

bnsf734

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The Moderation of Competition agreement on the West Coast finishes on April 1 2012 so there is nothing to stop London Midland applying for extra paths .

They already have an track access application with draft approval to provide extra trains from December 2012 onwards

Details here http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/s22-lbr-30sa-application-form.pdf

Basically this uses some of the extra class 350's which should be ordered in the new year and the 110mph capability of the existing units (assuming the tests went successfully - any news anybody?)
 

tbtc

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Can you not type out station names?

Agreed - it gets tiring reading out a long list of them. I've no problem with a bit of shorthand, but I'm not going to sit and cross reference to work out whether the station between Stafford and Northampton is Rugby or Rugeley...

One of the criticisms of Virgin is that they "abandoned" the Trent Valley stations. Running a faster LM service which doesn't bother stopping at most of these either doesn't really solve much (e.g. Tamworth/ Nuneaton).

Sorry, but this suggestion appears to be "neither nowt nor summat" as they say in Yorkshire, it won't be fast enough for people wanting (say) London - Stoke, but it doesn't stop at enough stations to plug the gaps either.
 

Old Yard Dog

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A lot of us football fans in the north-west would love to see LM workings from Euston to Crewe later than 1845. This would let us take advantage of LM's cheap fares to London when watching games in the south and still have plenty time to get back to Euston for the last train home.

It would also be good if the late night Caledonian sleepers carried some seating carriages so fans could watch midweek internationals at Wembley and then return to Crewe or Preston.
 

bengolding

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The LM Trent Valley has become a victom of its own success. Cheap and cheerful during the recession, it has won a lot of custom from the TV stations with bargain £6 fares in plentiful supply to/from Euston. I wonder if Virgin are kicking themselves for allowing the DfT to no longer stop at TV stations.

Now that the xx07 Virgin services to Liverpool run non-stop to Stafford, how busy are these off peak, then calling only at Runcorn? Only the 19:07 onwards call at Nuneaton, adding 3 minutes to the journey time.
 

NSE

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Always had healthy loadings to Stafford on the xx:07s when I've been on them, especially as far as Stafford.
 

jaigee

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Now that the xx07 Virgin services to Liverpool run non-stop to Stafford, how busy are these off peak, then calling only at Runcorn? Only the 19:07 onwards call at Nuneaton, adding 3 minutes to the journey time.

I use the off-peak services to Liverpool fairly regularly and they are lightly used. Hardly anybody gets on or off at Stafford, usually just me! :o
 

jaigee

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Now that the xx07 Virgin services to Liverpool run non-stop to Stafford, how busy are these off peak, then calling only at Runcorn? Only the 19:07 onwards call at Nuneaton, adding 3 minutes to the journey time.

The original question and my reply was in reference to the the Virgin Euston to Liverpool service not the LM Birmingham to Liverpool service which, as you say, is always fairly busy, as are the LM TV services.
 

MidnightFlyer

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The question and my reply was in reference to the the Virgin Euston to Liverpool service not the LM Birmingham to Liverpool service which, as you say, is always fairly busy, as are the LM TV services.

Sorry, post deleted.
 
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